jamyskis Reviews

Teenage Caveman (2002 TV Movie)

Larry Clark's fall from grace

[1/10 · 21 December 2005]

Larry Clark is a genius. He's probably the only director I have ever seen who can create a frank and understanding portrayal of modern teenage promiscuity and the issues of youth today without turning his films into a porn orgy. Kids was a commendable effort, and Bully was a superb film. Which led me to pick this up, having never heard of it, for the cheap rate of 5€. Clark had, until now, focused on teenage melodrama, and this little foray into sci-fi/horror looked interesting.

At least it was until I realised what had happened. The concept itself is interesting - Clark, fond of examining the behaviour of teenagers without the rule of law, has attempted to create a society that forms an ideal background to test the behaviour of a number of teenagers who live in a society where there is literally are no laws. And for the first half an hour, it looks promising.

Even the ensuing bathtub and sofa orgies didn't reduce my curiosity. These scenes are lifeless and directionless, and seem to serve no purpose than to allow the actors to show as much bare flesh as possible. But I was hoping that this was going to take us somewhere. Teenagers from a society where sex is banned, launched into one where sex is free.

Sadly, after around half an hour, you realise that in fact, it isn't going anywhere. The film turns into a pointless gore and fleshfest which revels in killing off characters in the most disgusting and tasteless ways possible, interspersed with sex scenes that are only vaguely explained away in the plot. None of the characters are developed into anything worth considering.

The film feels like Larry Clark's work for the first half an hour or so, before the gorefest begins and you don't recognise it anymore - perhaps a case of studio interference. In any case, it's a blemish on Clark's record that won't be easy to remove.

Doom (2005)

A surprising amount of depth - but that still ain't much

[7/10 · 11 November 2005]

I went into this film a bit closed minded, to be honest. I'd been looking forward to this film being released ever since it had been announced (almost a decade ago). Back then, I was not so picky about the sophistication about what films had to offer, and video game adaptations were still untested waters. Time has taught us since that by and large, video game adaptations haven't been particularly successful. Some blame it on the subject matter, but I would be inclined to blame it on inexperienced, or worse, incompetent directors.

Bearing this in mind, Andrzej Bartkowiak, someone with considerably more experience in the field of action movies, was put to work on bringing Doom to the big screen. Having seen many negative reviews beforehand, I wasn't too hopeful. Having seen it however, it offers a surprising amount of depth and interest considering the subject at hand.

At heart, Doom is a no-brainer action film. Those looking for deep emotions, complex story lines or even good acting may be better served elsewhere. The Rock's odd facial contortions (recognisable from his time in wrestling) don't do the credibility of the film any good.

Fans of the games may also complain about the accuracy to the original source material. The game bears indeed little relation to any of the original games, especially not the first two, but then any attempt to replicate the almost non-existent storyline of the games would have been doomed to failure. I applaud the makers' decision to play a little more fast and loose with the storyline while keeping the general feel of Doom in tact.

Throughout the first half of the film, you can't help but wonder if anything interesting is going to happen. In the second half, it does, and does so very well.

The characters motivations and concerns are developed more fully to make them more interesting, even those *gasp* of Sarge, played by the Rock. While Dwayne Johnson's acting abilities are seriously doubtful, you never feel like he is being pushed beyond what he is capable of - playing a cold, mindless, killer - so he doesn't make himself look overly ridiculous. Goat, played by Ben Daniels, has some interesting quirks. The Kid, played by Al Weaver, shows that he may be a little too green for the mission, including letting his conscience get the better of him and putting him on a collision course with Sarge - with explosive results. Karl Urban and Rosamund Pike turn in solid performances, but their sibling relationship never seems particularly convincing - a fault more of the script than of the actors.

Finally, the film seems to play classic horror clichés deliberately to comic effect. Pinky's fate, in particular, is highly amusing. The whole parodying of these clichés might seem like a cheap trick, but it works.

It's no masterpiece, but Doom offers just enough beyond loud noises and cheap shocks to make this film worth paying out for.

Gerry (2002)

The stereotype of modern art

[3/10 · 2 June 2005]

It's difficult to see what Van Sant was trying to achieve with this film. In the past he's jumped between standard Hollywood fair and more artistic indy films, with varying levels of success. It could well be that the director was attempting to try the patience of the viewer, to see if something happens. While this could well be true, it seems illogical to try a viewer's patience without rewarding it at the end, something that this film fails to do.

Another theory could be that Van Sant was attempting to create the anti-thesis of the mainstream Hollywood film. With mainstream cinema's fast action, short cuts and flowing dialogue, this film seems to incorporate much of the complete opposite - almost no action, with extremely long cuts of the same action being carried out and very minimal dialogue.

While many may be critical of samey blockbusters appearing non-stop, this shows that the opposite to what you hate is not necessarily what you like. There are extremes, and this reaches the other extreme to Hollywood blockbusters that is equally undesirable.

The long, drawn-out, improvised dialogue appears nonsensical at best, and doesn't appear to serve the film for any other reason than to break the silence. Part of the tedium is broken up with the nonsense dialogue diverging into absurdest comedy when one of the two protagonists somehow ends up stranded on a high rock, but this is short lived.

Gerry is indeed a bold experiment, but it also serves as a subject of the valid criticism levelled at a lot of so called "modern art". Much has been made of the readiness of many so-called art critics to label a tipped over dustbin or a urinal as "art", and this appears to fall into the same trap - just because the film is practically a "void", doesn't make it a valid contribution to the world of art.

Red Scorpion (1988)

Lame and overpatriotic, but not as brainless as you might think

[5 March 2004]

Red Scorpion was filmed and released in the final months of the Cold War when communism was soon to fall. The 1980s saw a whole range of anti-Soviet films (which, in their style, were technically propaganda) as well as films promoting peace between the United States and Soviet Union (the most odd example probably being Red Heat)

This is certainly of the former camp. Portraying Dolph Lundgren as a mindless automaton of Soviet-era Russia, he fights with dedication for his Soviet commanders, until he is thrown in jail for drunken behaviour. There he meets a resistance fighter, who the Soviet command have designated as a terrorist threat, and learns the "truth" about the Soviet presence.

Looking beyond the mindless action scenes (which, despite the countless guns and explosions), there is a good fable about the possibility of manipulating truth, and how appearance is not always truth. It's nothing deep, and won't have film academics breaking out in a sweat, but it does add some interesting twists to the story.

Dolph Lundgren's acting, as always, does leave a lot to be desired, but then this film does seem to be concentrating more on the storyline and action. His education by an African Bushman is particularly funny, even touching at times as you see the relationship between Nikolai and the Bushman develop. It's just a shame that more wasn't made of it.

All in all, the film does try to be what it isn't but doesn't suffer for it - indeed, at times, it even shows signs of succeeding.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Take it as it is, not as you want it to be...

[8/10 · 25 May 2003]

** MINOR SPOILERS **

I've been seeing a lot of negative comments about this film, but being a huge fan of the first Matrix, I wasn't going to let a few amateur reviews (amateur in the sense of "non-professional") stop me from seeing a film I had been waiting for for over three years.

Nonetheless, I went in with an open mind. I knew that a lot of people went in with extremely high expectations and came out disappointed, but hey, let's be honest - it was difficult to top the first film. In any case, the film still manages to achieve the same balance of philosophy, a deep, thoughtful plot and mindblowing action. I will quite happily say that I enjoyed this film thoroughly.

There were, however, two major points that really bugged me about MR.

The first, was Neo's newfound powers. The first film was all about the founding of Neo as "the One" - in quotes for reasons you will understand during Reloaded - which left him at times highly vulnerable and highly confused, searching to find himself and who he really is. This element in the second film is gone - here we have a superhero-like character who fails to be really tested, and although the Wachowski Bros have gone to some lengths to find some challenges for Neo, you can't help but get the impression that they seem a bit artificial at times.

The second is that so much of the plot unrolls in Zion, that the theme zone central to the first film which allowed so many of the incredible effects, feels at times a little sidelined and again, the Matrix scenes feel a little implanted.

But don't let these niggly points put you off. Don't go into the film with inflated expectations - sequels of landmark films rarely match up to the original. This is a great action film here with perhaps one of the best car chases ever seen on film - Matrix style, and Hugo Weaving as the reborn Agent Smith is excellent, as is most of the cast, even Keanu Reeves.

For those seeking deeper meaning, there are several layers to the film which explore the meaning of and the possibilities of the relationship between man and machine, as well as how division in a society can lead to failure - look how divisions of belief in the prophecy in Zion lead to its invasion, and how, as much as Agent Smith divides, each of the clones seem to be weaker than the original Matrix 1 Smith. A couple of characters to perhaps look out for if you want to look deeper are Councillor Harmann and the Architect - listen carefully to what they have to say.

So, all in all, I would heartily recommend this film to anyone who is not expecting the film that is going to reap every Oscar for the next thirty years - I would, however, also recommend that people take a couple of viewings and obviously, to watch the first movie a few times to really understand the workings of the Matrix - without it, you cannot understand the philosophy behind it. So you know what you have to do. Enjoy.

Speed (1994)

Who needs complex plots?

[8/10 · 22 March 2002]

As an action film, Speed is practically faultless. Down to the precarious "Oh, @$£!" style cliffhangers to the suspenseful climax, Speed keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through. The very nature (and at the time, quite original too) of the plot means that there is never a dull moment. That bus is always moving at 50MPH and you're constantly left guessing as to what is going to happen next.

Reeves, as usual, plays his role with something of a lack of distinction, but unlike some of his roles (e.g. Dracula) he plays it with the gung-ho style that suits him. Hopper in the role of Payne makes a superb baddie, both with his edgy laugh and playful but sinister moods, both portrayed beautifully.

Overall, Speed is a film which will keep you going again and again, and, like Reeves' other hit, the Matrix, will keep you coming back again and again for the stunts alone.